Trays for packaging jars,cans and similar articles



Nov. 18, 1969 R. A. STEVENS TRAYS FOR PACKAGING JARS, CANS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES 3 Sheets-Shemv 1 Filed Nov. 14, 196'? FIG].

lNVENTOR R0) ALBERT STEVENS BY PE/VDLETO/V, NEUMA/V SE/BOLD 8 W/LL/AMS ATTORNEYS Nov. 18, 1969 R. A. STEVENS 3,478,950

CANS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES TRAYS FOR PACKAGING JARS v 3 Sheets-Sheet 2'.

Filed Nov. 14, 1967 INVENTOR R0) ALBERT STEVENS N5 AM M 3 WM m8 T 5 MM g Y B ATTORNEYS Nov. 18, 1969 R. A. STEVENS 3,478,950

CANS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES TRAYS FOR PACKAGING JARS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 14, 1967 R O T N E V N R0) ALBERT STEVE/V5 BY PE/VDLETON, NEU/V/A/V SE/BOLD 8 W/LL/A/V/S ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,478,950 TRAYS FOR PACKAGING JARS, CANS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES Roy A. Stevens, 1 Hythe Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey, England Filed Nov. 14, 1967, Ser. No. 682,853 Int. Cl. B65d /26, 5/36, 65/16 US. Cl. 22932 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to trays and tray-like structures formed of cardboard or similar board material and is used for example for the packaging of jars, cans, bottles and like containers by the shrink wrap technique.

Where such trays are to be used for the packaging of containers of circular cross section, it is common practice to provide the trays with rounded corners, the base panel being appropriately shaped and extensions on the ends of the opposed side walls being bent round and united to the end walls to complete the tray structure. Such structures are referred to hereafter as of the kind mentioned. For economical production, gluing of the extensions to the end walls is preferred but it is found that if the extensions follow closely the rounded corners of the base panel, then the end walls cannot fold flat onto the base panel about the joint or hinge lines connecting them to said panel. Thus the tray cannot be glued and finished on the usual gluing machine, neither will the completed tray fold flat. The present invention provides an improved tray corner construction which overcomes this defect, permitting standard gluing machines to be used and resulting in a true flat-folding tray structure with corresponding advantages in packing and storing until required for use.

According to the invention in a tray structure of the kind mentioned, the base panel is provided at each end with an additional crease or fold line at such distance from the ends of the base that the end wall structures can fold inwards about said crease lines into a truly flat position upon the base panel.

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate several embodiments of the invention and wherein FIG. 1 is a plan view of the basic blank for a shrink Wrap type tray,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view showing one end of the tray assembled and glued and in the flat-folded condition,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the complete tray in the erected condition,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the application of the invention to a dual tray or a tray and lid structure, and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of one end of a tray showing a modification to facilitate gluing.

Referring first to FIG. 1 it will be seen that the basic blank is of conventional shape for the construction of a simple shrink-wrap type tray, the blank comprising the base panel 1 with rounded corners 1a, integral opposed side walls 2, integral end walls 3 and extensions 2a on the side walls which, when the side and end walls are ice bent up to a position perpendicular to the base panel, are bent round to follow the curvature of the corners and are glued to the end panels to form the erected tray shown in FIG. 3. As previously mentioned such a tray is not flat folding and to overcome this defect the base panel is provided at each end with an additional transverse crease or fold line 4, it then being possible to fold the end wall structure inwardly about this fold line to the fiat position upon the base panel shown in FIG. 2. Such fiat folding is achieved with the side walls 2 outfolded into the plane of the base panel and in this condition into the plane of the base panel and in this condition the extensions 2a folded upon themselves diagonally where they merge into the side walls. To facilitate such folding therefore, the extensions are preferably provided with diagonal folds or crease lines 5 at the required points. The spacing of the crease lines 4 from the ends of the base panel will depend upon the degree of curvature of the base corners but as a guide it can be mentioned that where the corners are rounded to about 1 /2 inches radius the crease line 4 will need to be spaced about inch inward of the end of the base panel. The several fold lines may be provided by creasing, perforating or any equivalent means which will ensure easy folding along a desired line.

It will be understood that the terms side walls and end walls have been used purely for convenience and that in a square or rectangular tray the extensions may be provided on either pair of opposed walls for connection to the other pair of opposed walls.

So far the invention has been described in relation to a fully-walled tray but the invention is equally applicable to a so-called open tray, that is, a tray having two end walls and one side wall only, the other side of the tray being open. In FIG. 4 such an open tray structure is shown as a lid 6 to a fully-walled base tray, the lid in this instance being supported in the desired relation to the base tray by an additional panel or strut 7 secured to the lid and base tray by adhesive or equivalent means. However, the strut 7 may be dis ensed with where the spacing of the lid and base does not require it, the lid, which may be of the open tray type or of the fully-walled type, being formed integrally with the side wall 2b of the base tray.

In the construction shown in FIGS. 1-3 where the extensions 2a at each end of the tray are brought into abutting relation, gluing is a simple operation, it merely being necessary to coat the inner surfaces of the end panels 3 on a standard gluing machine. However, in a wider tray Where the in-turned extensions 2a do not meet as shown in FIG. 5, the standard gluing practice would result in the application of glue to the intermediate section 30 of the end panel and so interfere with flat folding of the tray. To avoid this the end panel is glued only along an outer strip indicated at 8, the end panel section 3a having been previously cut away over its outer zone as shown at 9. Thus no glued surface is left exposed in the erected tray and it can be flat folded for storage purposes immediately it leaves the gluing machine.

I claim:

1. A blank for a collapsible tray of the type described comprising a base panel, opposed parallel side wall panels joined to said base panel along first parallel fold lines defining opposed edges of said base panel, side wall extensions connected to opposed ends of said side wall panels by means of second fold lines; end wall panels connected to opposed central end portions of said base panel along third parallel fold lines transversely disposed to said first fold lines; said base panel having curved corner portions disposed between said third and first fold lines; said base panel having fourth fold lines spaced from and parallel with said third fold lines whereby said end panels and portions of said curved corner portions may be folded into overlying relationship with adjacent end portions of said bottom panel; said second fold lines being angularly disposed to said fourth fold lines whereby said side wall extensions are in parallel interposed relationship with said inwardly folded end wall panels and said base panel when folded prior to said end wall panels along said second fold lines, with said bottom panel and side walls in coplanar relation.

2. A collapsible tray construction comprising a base panel, opposed parallel side wall panels joined to said base panel along first parallel fold lines defining opposed edges of said base panel; end wall panels connected to opposed central end portions of said base panel along second parallel fold lines transversely disposed to said first fold lines; side wall extensions connected to opposed ends of said side wall panels by means of third fold lines at first end portions and secured to said end wall panels at opposed end portions; said base panel having curved corner portions disposed between said first and second fold lines, said end wall panels, side walls and side wall extensions being positionable into an erect position disposed substantially normal to said base panel; said side wall extensions following the curvature of said curved corner portions when in said erect position; said base panel having fourth fold lines in spaced parallel relation with said second fold lines whereby said end wall panels and attached side wall extensions may fold into overlying relation with adjacent end portions of said base panel; said side wall extensions simultaneously folding along said third fold lines in the course of the end wall panel folding.

3. The collapsible tray of claim 2 in which said side wall panels are disposed in substantially coplanar relation with said base panel when said end wall panels and side wall extensions are folded into overlying relation with said base panel.

4. The collapsible tray of claim 2 in which said side wall extensions are adhered in substantially abutting, endto-end relation to the inner surfaces of said end wall panels.

5. The collapsible tray of claim 2 in which the ends of said side wall extensions secured to each of said end wall panels are in spaced relation; an upper edge portion of each of said end wall panelsbeing removed between said spaced extensions and adhesive is applied to upper edge portions of said end wall panels engaging said side wall extensions.

6. The collapsible tray of claim 2 in combination with a lid connected to said tray by means of a strut panel engaging a lid edge portion at one end and a tray side wall panel at an opposed end.

7. The collapsible tray of claim 2 in which said curved corner portions are formed about a radius of 1% inches and said fourth fold lines are spaced Arinch from the ends of the base panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 340,915 4/ 1886 Hurd 229-82 1,760,325 5/1930 Small 22931 XR 1,948,083 2/1934 Warner.

2,313,731 3/ 1943 Brogden. 2,836,339 5/1958 Pringle. 2,974,321 3/ 1961 Salka. 3,331,503 7/1967 Brown 206-45.33 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 65,264 12/ 1946 Denmark. 961,269 11/ 1949 France.

DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 20645.33; 229-41 

